The blizzard that is expected to wallop the Midwest this week (satellite image shown) could rival the 1967 storm that dumped 23 inches of snow over Chicago. Getty

February 1, 2011

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"Do not travel! Stay inside!" is the alert from the National Weather Service, regarding a "life-threatening storm" that's hitting the Midwest Tuesday before sweeping across to the East Coast. The "potentially historic and destructive" storm is expected to be the worst of this already unusually harsh winter, and one of the biggest in recent years. As experts warn of blizzards, ice storms and sleet, bitter cold and civilization-stalling amounts of snow, here's a look at the latest "snowpocalypse" 2011, by the numbers:

100 millionEstimated number of people who could be affected by the storm

1/3Portion of U.S. population potentially affected by the storm

8Number of states under blizzard warnings, as of Tuesday

328Number of flights canceled nationwide, as of Monday afternoon

-50 degreesExpected temperature, with wind chill, in Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Kansas

2 feetAmount of snow expected in some areas, including St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Kansas City

4 tonsAmount of ice-melt pellets Do it Best Hardware, near St. Louis, sold in four hours Monday

600Number of National Guard troops mobilized in Missouri to deal with the storm

40 mphExpected wind speeds in ice storm hitting Indiana

11,030Number of Indianapolis residents without power as of Tuesday morning

20 inchesPredicted snowfall in Chicago

23 inchesChicago's heaviest-ever snowstorm, in January 1967

19The average number of years between storms of this size in Chicago

394Number of plow trucks (and modified garbage trucks) Chicago has at the ready